


All The Ways

by justcallmered



Series: Everything For Always [2]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Flirting, Happy Ending, Light Angst, Soft Rio (Good Girls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:22:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24008053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justcallmered/pseuds/justcallmered
Summary: All the ways Rio pursues Beth and the way he finally gets her.Rating is for liberal use of the eff word because yeah, that's my everyday language.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Series: Everything For Always [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731463
Comments: 23
Kudos: 101





	All The Ways

“But you would look so much better on top of it.”

  
 _Well shit_ , Beth thought to herself, _the fuck do I say to that?_

  
Beth flushed, her skin starting to tint pink as she folded her hands on top of the desk and smiled with manufactured sweetness and raised her eyebrow at him. “Oh, is that so?” She asked as she stood and leaned over the desk some, lending him a nice view of her cleavage.

  
Rio very obviously dipped his gaze down to her milky breasts spilling out just a bit with her movement then flicked his eyes back up to meet hers as he stood and walked to the desk. He licked his bottom lip then placed his hands on the edge of the desk and leaned towards her until their faces were mere inches apart. “Oh, it’s so,” he finally answered her, full smirk blooming on his face as he watched her breath stutter in her chest.

  
Beth opened her mouth and drew in a breath then promptly shut it, scrunching her nose up in frustration. How did he always get to her like this? God, it was infuriating! Beth was tired of him always having all the power, so she decided to take some back. 

  
She leaned back to a regular standing position then turned and started round the desk, letting her fingers trail the edge. Rio stood as well, watching her with curiosity as she made her way to the front of the desk, her back to him. Beth turned slowly and locked eyes with him as she leaned back, lifting on her toes to take a seat on the desk before crossing her legs and leaning back on both her hands which in turn pressed her chest forward. “You mean, like this?” Beth asked him, eyes wide in false innocence then bit down on her bottom lip.

  
Rio’s eyes raked over her, black with lust as his hands squeezed into fists beside him. As he looked her over though, he paused at her face, searching for something. Beth had no idea what, but she tried her best to meet his gaze steadily. Rio finally blinked, unfurled his fists and took a step closer to Beth before setting his hands on each of her knees and spreading them open so he could walk between them. He leaned down until his mouth hovered over her ear, hands poised to cage her in on the desk and spoke slow and low into her ear with his gravelly rasp, “Nah, more like this, ma.” Then he pressed into her until her skirt was shoved up near her waist and their chests were pressed together. He could feel her shallow breathing, could see the blush splotching her chest pink with arousal. He let his lips ghost over the spot below her ear and breathed her in once before stepping completely away from her.

  
Beth let out the cutest noise of frustration he had ever heard which made Rio chuckle lowly, heading for the door.

  
“See you real soon, yeah?” He teased her, knocking the doorframe on his way out of her office and out of the dealership.

  
Beth let out a big, shaky exhale trying to calm her beating heart. “Damn it,” she muttered to herself, standing on slightly shaky legs to fix her skirt and finger comb her hair. She felt flush and sexually frustrated and _so fucking annoyed_ _with him_. She let out a little growl and rounded the desk to sit down and finish the work she was doing before he so _rudely_ interrupted her.

  
Rio only smirked as he watched her all flustered and annoyed with him as she got back to work. He had decided the night they fucked in that bar bathroom that he couldn’t let her go. It wasn’t the sex, he could always find a woman to have sex with, and it wasn’t the money, he clearly had no problems making it on his own before she came along, nah, it was something else. Something he couldn’t quite put into words yet.

  
He saw something in her, something he couldn’t put his finger on until this meeting. The way she had negotiated him to 50/50 was just unfair. She had distracted him with her power behind that desk, the fire in her eyes while she strong-armed him. Partners. Yeah, he could live with that, but he’d have to make her realize this partnership would extend beyond business. Eventually, he would show her all that he planned to give her. For now, he shook his head, bit his lip and slumped down into his car to drive away.

* * *

“ _Jesus Christ_ , Rio!” Beth shouted, dropping her purse and keys in the middle of the hallway after she had spotted him at the island, in the dark. “Turn a freaking light on, will you?” She snapped, bending to retrieve her things before finishing her trek to the kitchen while her heart slowed to the normal stutter associated with his presence.

  
Rio had started laughing as soon as she screamed and was still chuckling to himself when he got up and flicked on her kitchen light before starting some coffee for her and then put some water in her kettle to make a tea for himself.

  
Beth watched him in silence for a beat or two before deciding she needed out of her clothes more than she needed to know why he was there. She sighed tiredly and turned to walk to her bedroom while he went about making their respective drinks. Once there she walked in and shut the door behind her before slipping her clothes off and walking to her en suite for a quick shower. The hot water relaxed her muscles and she quickly washed up and got out to towel off. Beth sighed, feeling much better after her shower as she rubbed moisturizer into her creamy skin all over. She didn’t bother to do anything with her hair beside towel-dry it and throw it up in a messy bun. She would brush and blow it out later after he had left or tomorrow, but right now she just didn’t have the energy. It had been an excruciatingly long day. 

  
Dean took her kids. She had come home the previous night to an empty house and a note on the fridge. She had absolutely no idea what to do. He wanted her to choose between her old life and her new life, with Rio. If she was being honest with herself, she knew that she couldn’t give up what she had found with Rio. Working with him made her feel really and truly alive and that was something Dean had never and would never be able to give her. Coming to that conclusion didn’t make her decision any easier though because he had her _kids_ and that was something she would never and could never give up. So, she was still trying to come up with a solution for the whole thing, but was still blank. Maybe Rio would have an idea? But she knew he didn’t have time to deal with her ‘bitch-ass drama’ and so she hadn’t brought it up to him. 

  
Beth decided she just wanted to know why he was there so she could just go to bed already. With that in mind she pulled on a satin nightgown with a matching robe over it and after tying it securely she made her way back to the kitchen where a cup of coffee was steaming and ready for her on the island. She walked over and slid into the stool beside him, blowing on her coffee before picking up the mug in both hands and taking a long sip. It was made exactly the way she liked it, something she wasn’t going to think about right now.

  
“Why are you here?” Beth asked him without preamble after sipping her coffee again.

  
“Where’s your brood, Elizabeth?” Rio countered.

  
“Well if you’re asking you must already know. Dean took them to his mother’s where they’re not in danger. Says I have to choose,” Beth intoned, no emotion bleeding through her words as they usually did.

  
Rio scoffed and shook his head. “Ain’t nowhere safer for those babies than in this house. Carman’s an idiot.”

  
Beth turned to look at him then, narrowing her eyes, “Is it? Because I’ve had a gun held to my head on more than one occasion in this house. So you tell me, how safe is that for my children, Rio?” She spat out, lips pressing together in a firm line.

  
Rio didn’t turn to look at her, just smirked that half-smirk that infuriated her. “You still sittin’ here alive, ain’t you? I ever show up here wit’ a gun to your face while your kids around?” He shook his head then, “Nah, I ain’t ever do that and I never would, either. Damn, you still don’t get it, do you, ma?”

  
Beth looked at him perplexed for a few beats before greedily sipping her coffee trying to buy some time. “No,” she let out quietly. She doesn’t know what exactly she’s saying ‘no’ to, but the answer to all the questions he asked were ‘no’ so he could take his pick.

  
Rio only nodded slowly then finished his tea and rinsed out his mug, setting it on the drying rack and turning to face her. He leaned back against the sink and just looked at her for a couple, very long, torturous minutes before he spoke again.

“I ain’t gon’ lose you to that dumbass, Elizabeth. I need you to boss up and get your house in order. Do what you gotta do, mama. Threaten him, cut his dick off, kill ‘im. I don’ give a fuck what you do long as you understand that this,” he motioned between them, “is far from over. And it ain’t just business, Elizabeth. I shouldn’t even have to explain that to you at this point, but clearly you’re a lil’ slower on the uptake than I thought,” Rio told her, smirking once he got to the end of his little tirade.

  
“Rio, I—what do I? How—,” Beth starts and cuts herself off, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes to stop herself from crying in front of him. She _does_ know that whatever it is that’s between them has only just started, but she doesn’t know how she’s supposed to circumvent this obstacle. She had no idea how to accomplish what Rio had made seem so easy.

  
“Ain’t he fake havin’ cancer for a minute there?” Rio asked after a couple beats of silence.

  
Beth let out a watery laugh and wiped at her eyes furiously, turning her head from him. “Yup, got some doctor to right false reports and everything. Took me to a fucking appointment with the quack to really sell it,” Beth bit out, not paying any attention to Rio as he came back around the counter and placed his hands on her shoulders from behind.

  
Beth tensed immediately when she felt the warmth of his hands through her thin satin robe until he dipped his head near her ear and whispered, “Relax, mami,” right against the shell of her ear. She shuddered, but relaxed into the stool, allowing him to knead the tension from her shoulders and neck.

  
They stood silently for a few minutes, the only sound being Beth’s little sighs and small moans when he hit a particularly tense knot. She let out a stuttered little breath and let her head fall to the side as he continued. Rio couldn’t help himself when she exposed the smooth, flawless skin of her neck to him. He bent his head down, working his hands and fingers on outer most points of her shoulders as he dragged his nose along her neck, taking in the mixed scent of her shampoo and body wash. He sighed that breath out, letting his warm breath fan over her sensitive skin before he left a shallow, open-mouthed kiss behind her ear. Rio let his lips drag across her skin lightly until he reached the junction of her neck and shoulder, kissing her again with a bit more pressure this time.

  
Beth gasped, reaching up to cradle the back of his head and keep him there. Rio finally dropped his hands from her shoulders and wrapped them around her middle, squeezing gently before peppering kisses up and down her neck, across her shoulder and back until he pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and switched sides. He gently tilted her head to the other side and gave her the same treatment he just had moments ago. Beth sighed, feeling more content than she had in years as she raked her nails over his cropped hair. Rio shuddered lightly at the feel of it and moved his mouth to the junction of her neck and clavicle, biting down then sucking at her skin until he knew there would be a mark and then released her with a _pop_. He quickly soothed the area with his tongue and lips, kissing over it before nuzzling into her neck and finally speaking.

  
“Threaten to expose the doc and if that don’ work, threaten to tell all y’all’s lil’ neighbors what he done to you and his family,” Beth tensed, thinking about how embarrassing it would be for everyone to find out Dean had cheated on her, “And don’ let that shit embarrass you, Elizabeth. He’s the piece of shit, not you. You ain’t do none of that shit, right?” Beth nodded, sniffling, “Right, so you ain’t got nothin’ to be embarrassed about, yeah?” Rio questioned, straightening up and spinning her to face him.

  
Beth was pouting when she was spun around and he gave one of his rare half-smiles before squeezing her hips as he walked between her knees. He raised his eyebrow at her, waiting for her to respond. Beth put her palms flat against her chest, staring at her fingers as they splayed against his hard chest. She curled her fingers, letting her nails dig into him a bit, Rio tightened his grip on her hips, then she flattened them back out before flicking her eyes up to meet his. His shone dark, swimming with lust he couldn’t conceal.

  
Beth bit her lip then spoke quietly, but firmly, “I’ll take care of it.”

  
Rio gave her a small smile and kissed her forehead. “I know, sweetheart.”

  
Then he turned and walked to the kitchen door turning back to wink at her before opening the door and leaving without another word. The door shut softly after him and Beth finished her coffee, starting to come up with her game plan with a new found confidence.

* * *

Beth was sleeping peacefully before she heard her French doors open and close clumsily. She heard a string of muttered Spanish words and a harsh exhale of breath before she rubbed her eyes and sat up. Her vision was still blurry with sleep, but she immediately recognized Rio in the shadows of her bedroom. He hadn’t noticed she was awake yet and was trying to stumble to the bathroom. At first, Beth couldn’t tell if he was drunk or hurt, but when he winced and almost dropped to his knees she was out of her bed like a shot.

  
“Rio!” She gasped, reaching his side and helping him to the bathroom to sit on the toilet. “What happened? Where are you hurt?” Beth fired off, reaching under the sink to grab the advanced first-aid kit she had purchased after the Eddie Incident.

  
Rio only groaned and waved his hand at her. “Is’ fine, ma. Go back t’ bed,” he slurred, speech impeded by his fat, bottom lip. He went to reach for the first-aid kit, but she slapped his hand away.

  
“Don’t. Even,” she grit out, grabbing her robe off the door and tying it tightly around her. “You show up at my house at 2am barely able to walk by yourself—which, how did you even get here like that?—and you expect me to ‘ _go back to bed_ ’? Are you actually insane or just stupid?” As she said all this she started to jerkily yank open the supplies she definitely needed before wetting a clean washcloth with warm water.

  
Rio grumbled, acting like he wasn’t going to let her wipe up the blood all over his skin but finally relented, sighed and sat still for her as she started to wipe around his lip which made him flinch. She lessened her pressure then continued to the rest of his face. His bottom lip was split open and swollen as was his left eye, a little cut beneath it as well as a gash by his hairline. And that was only what she could see. Beth knew there was more and probably worse injuries on his chest and arms. She sighed and stepped back, trying to gauge how much he was going to fight her on this next step.  
She decided against asking and just zipped his hoodie down, pushed it slowly off his shoulders before he could protest then gasped at the blood stain at his right side. Tears instantly pricked her eyes, but she blinked them away and slowly started to peel his shirt up and off of him.

  
“If yah wanted me naked, ma, all yah had t’ do was ask,” Rio rasped out, wincing as he tried to smirk at her.

  
Beth gave him a soft smile of amusement and rolled her eyes at him. She knew he was trying to distract her, she couldn’t hide anything from him and he had clearly clocked the look on her face at his stab wound. “You just hush and stop flirting to try and distract me. I’m busy here,” she teased him as she kneeled next to him to inspect the stab wound. Beth lifted his arm gently, wiping some blood away to look more closely at it as Rio sucked in a sharp breath. “Looks fairly shallow. Did someone try and get you from the back with this?” Beth asked as she looked at the position of the cut. It was a weird angle, like Rio was already twisting when it penetrated his skin.

  
Rio huffed on a humorless chuckle, “Yeah, actually,” he answered, but gave no more explanation.

  
Beth pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, an inexplicable rage taking over her body at the information. She huffed and went back to cleaning up his wound. “It’s shallow, but I think you could do with a couple stitches. Think you can handle that?” She asked icily. She wasn’t angry with him, but he was the only one there, so.

  
“Shit, sweetheart, I gone through worse,” he told her, noticing the ice in her tone, but not commenting—yet.

  
Beth snorted, shaking her head. “Right,” she snapped, ripping open the suture kit and laying it on the sink next to them. “This is going to burn,” she warned him before dousing the stab wound with alcohol unceremoniously and Rio hissed loudly.

  
“ _Fuck_ ,” he cursed, hand gripping the edge of the sink tightly as she ignored him and dabbed around the cut before pinching the skin together and threading the needle through this skin. Rio breathed through it, flexing his fingers on the edge of the sink and fisting his other hand in his lap, nails digging into his palm. He clenched his jaw as she finished the last stitch and tied it off. He then watched as she carefully dressed it, smoothing her hands over it gently when she finished.

  
“Who?” Beth looked up and asked, sitting back on her heels.

  
“Don’ worry ‘bout it,” he waved her off.

  
“Rio,” she started sternly, but he cut her off.

  
“Nah. I tell you and then what, hm? You gon’ go after him all by yourself, sweetheart?” Rio spat out, pinning her with a look letting her know he knew where her head was at.

  
“They hurt you, betrayed you,” Beth ground out through clenched teeth.

  
“And you ain’t?” Rio fired back.

  
Beth flinched as if he had slapped her, the anger draining out of her as her face dropped. Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them back, sniffed and went about cleaning the rest of the blood off his chest and torso, cleaning up all the smaller cuts as she went. Beth sighed and stood with a little groan, knees aching from kneeling on tile for so long. 

  
Rio sat on the toilet watching as she cleaned up everything she had used and put everything away. He knew he shouldn’t have said that, it was a dick move. They were way past her betrayal and it wasn’t fair of him to throw it back at her like that. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as she picked up his shirt and hoodie and disappeared from the bathroom. He heard the bedroom door open and her steps retreating down the hall.

  
Beth was completely thrown off by his comment. He hadn’t brought up her turning him in for so long. She thought they had moved past it, but apparently he hadn’t and that hurt her more than it should. Silent tears flowed down her cheeks as she dumped hydrogen peroxide on his shirt and started scrubbing intensely, listening as it bubbled over the blood. She cried because someone had hurt him, she cried because _she_ had hurt him, she cried because he still resented her, she just cried. By the time she finished scrubbing his shirt and tossed it in the washer, her shoulders were shaking, but she still dumped the hydrogen peroxide on his hoodie and scrubbed that, too.

  
Rio slowly made his way to the laundry room where he found her huddled over his jacket, scrubbing like her life depended on it. He could see the tear streaks on her cheeks and the way her shoulders were shaking. Rio cursed under his breath, angry with himself for making her cry without even intending to. He slid up right behind her, not close enough to touch her, but only inches away from being pressed against her back. He lifted his hands and put them over hers, forcing her to release his hoodie and the scrub brush pink with blood.

  
“It will stain if I don’t finish,” she sniffed.

  
“Don’ give a fuck ‘bout that hoodie, Elizabeth.”

  
Beth huffed out a hollow laugh, “Yeah, what do you give a fuck about?”

  
“You,” Rio shot back immediately.

  
Beth rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her then took her hands out from under his and crossed her arms over her chest. “Right,” she deadpanned.

  
Rio rocked his jaw. How one woman could be as infuriating as she was beautiful and smart was beyond Rio. He did not understand how she could be so fucking dense. Rio reached around to her front and undid the tie of her robe. Beth tensed, but let him slide it off her shoulders. She shivered as the cold air hit her skin and held onto the edge of the washer to ground her. Rio used one hand to massage the back of her skull as his bruised lips floated across the skin of her shoulders making her shudder. Rio smiled as best he could against the skin of her neck and then nipped at her earlobe.

  
“Dags and I took care of it already, sweetheart. He ain’t ever gon’ hurt me again,” he told her quietly. “And I didn’t mean what I said. We’re way past that and I shouldn’t have thrown it back in your face. I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”

  
Beth lifted her hands to wipe her eyes and sniffed some. “I was so angry, Rio.”

  
“I know,” he sighed, squeezing her hips before letting his hands rub back and forth across her belly.

  
“Only _I_ can hurt you,” she said petulantly, pouting for full effect.

  
Rio laughed lightly, dropping his head against her neck. “Okay, mama, you got it,” he teased her, wrapping his arms around her middle tightly. He then stepped back from her and let her turn around. Her face had red splotches all over from her crying and it made him frown. Rio reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand, letting his thumb glide over the apple of her cheek. “No more cryin’, okay?” Beth nodded and Rio pursed his lips before releasing her. “I should probably head out…thanks for patching me up, Elizabeth,” Rio told her with a small smile and chuck under her chin before he turned to leave, shirtless still mind you.

  
Just as he was about to round out of the laundry room to the back door Beth reached out and grabbed his hand. “Wait!”

  
Rio stopped and looked over his shoulder, raising his eyebrow at her.

  
“Stay,” she said firmly.

  
A beat, then another and finally a short nod from Rio.

Beth smiled big and genuine then laced their fingers together as she led him back to her bedroom. Once inside she closed the door then turned to him, looking up into his eyes as she reached for his belt buckle. He popped an eyebrow, but didn’t stop her and then toed off his shoes. Beth bit her lip then proceeded to unbuckle, unbutton, and unzip his jeans before pushing them off of him, allowing him to step out of them. She bent to pick them up and put them in her hamper then went back to him, pulling him by the hand to the edge of the bed. Beth let go of his hand to yank the comforter back then climbed in to the other side. She snuggled in under the comforter and leaned up on her side with her head propped on her hand. She used her other hand to pat the space next to her then held up the comforter for him to slide in.

  
Rio watched her the entire time, taking time to appraise her ass as she crawled to the other side of the bed and got comfortable, now waiting for him to join her. Rio locked eyes with her as he climbed in beside her, lying flat on his back before lifting his left arm for her to crawl under. Beth took his silent invitation and curled around him, careful not to brush any major injuries. She tucked her head on his shoulder, right under his chin, splayed her left hand over his bare chest and hiked her left leg up and over his waist.

  
Rio hummed contentedly and buried one hand in her hair as the other held her thigh in place over his waist. He squeezed her gently, moving his head to kiss her hair before he settled in, relaxing his body into her mattress. Minutes later they were both sleeping deeper and more relaxed than either of them had in what had to be years.

  
When Beth woke the next morning the spot next to her was empty, but a mug of coffee made to her exact liking was sitting on her bedside table. Beth smiled, sat up in bed and took a long, satisfying sip before she heard the kids starting to come down for breakfast. That man was going to drive her insane—with lust or frustration, she didn’t know—one of these days.   
Beth just smiled again at the thought and got out of bed to start her day.

* * *

“’Sup?”

  
Beth scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. She refused to respond to him. She hadn’t seen or really heard from Rio in almost three weeks save for a few short texts pertaining strictly to business. Now he thinks he can just show up at the park unannounced with Marcus and no explanation? Oh hell no.

  
Rio rolled his eyes at her clear attitude toward him. He knew she was going to be pissy when he finally saw her again. It wasn’t exactly intentional that he hadn’t seen her for almost three weeks, mostly. The night he showed up at her house injured he had revealed too much, showed his hand too early. He knew that Beth still wasn’t quite ready for what was brewing between them. He didn’t want to push her, but that night they had both been so vulnerable even though she still didn’t seem to understand.

  
“Hi, Beth!” Marcus shouted excitedly as he ran up to her and wrapped his arms around her neck.

  
“Hi, sweetie! Oh, I’ve missed you! The kids are over in the field playing soccer,” Beth greeted him enthusiastically, hugging him extra tight before sending him off with her children.

  
So, when the opportunity presented itself to put some distance between them, he took it like a moth to a flame. He sent Carlos and Bullet to handle the drops with the girls and Dags and Demon took care of the dealership. Meanwhile, he was trying to hammer out a new deal with some old school dudes on the south side in order to avoid a turf war. It had taken longer than he intended, hence the not seeing her for three weeks.

  
Finally, Beth spoke to him, “What do you want, Rio?” She spat, still not turning towards him.

  
Rio clenched his teeth, jaw ticking, “Not here for business, darlin’.”

  
Beth shifted in her seat, shoulders dropping just the smallest bit of tension. He was getting somewhere. She made a disbelieving noise in the back of her throat and huffed. “That doesn’t answer my question,” she snapped back.

  
“You a trip, ma,” Rio replied, shaking his head.

  
That was it. Beth was sick and tired of his vague, cryptic non-answers and infuriatingly cool demeanor. Beth had thought after that night things might be different between them, softer. They had both revealed a lot that night and he was always alluding to what was going on between them well before that night. Then nothing. He basically dropped off the face of the Earth with no explanation. Next thing she knew, Carlos was who she was seeing the most of. It wasn’t like she could come out and ask where he was. No, she had just had to deal with it, cursing him wherever the hell he was.

  
So, she was fed up. Done. She wasn’t going to let him waltz in and out of her head and heart as he pleased. “Kids!” She called as she rose from the bench. “Come on, let’s go!” Her children started to whine and she could not handle that at the moment. “We’ll get ice cream if you quickly and quietly get to the car and buckle up!” Beth bribed them, watching as they quickly gathered their things and walked up to the bench with Marcus in tow.

  
All four of her kids’ faces lit up upon spotting Rio on the bench next to her, but it was Emma who sprinted forward and threw herself into Rio’s waiting arms to wrap her tiny ones around his neck tightly. Rio caught her with an ‘oof’ and hugged her back just as tightly. Emma was a shy little thing, almost a carbon copy of her mother in personality, but she had taken quickly to Rio (not unlike her mom). Rio could feel in the tightness of her hug how much she had missed him.

  
“Missed you,” Emma mumbled into his neck. She had relaxed, sitting herself comfortably in his lap with her head rested on his shoulder while she traced the intricate bird on his neck.

  
“Missed you, too, lil’ mama,” Rio replied, resting his hand on the top of her head as the other kids finally reached them, grinning at him.

  
Damn, he really had missed the fuck out of these kids.

  
“Hi Rio! I have so many drawings to show you! I’ve gotten sooo much better at birds!” Jane told him excitedly, crawling up onto the bench beside him to smack a kiss on his cheek then pat it gently before hopping back off, going back to messing around with Marcus.

  
Rio laughed at Jane’s antics and caught Beth’s gaze, watched her try to blink away her watery eyes, sniff, then turn away from him to pack up her bag of snacks and toys. Rio chewed on the inside of his cheek. He fucking hated that he was the reason she was on the verge of tears. He should have found a better way to handle this, he knows that now, but he has to find a way to fix it before she really is done with him.

  
Kenny walked up to Rio, pulling his attention from Beth, and went through the progression of a handshake they had created a few weeks ago with a smile. “Aced my math test,” he told Rio with a smirk after they finished their handshake with a snap.

  
Rio popped a brow and nodded with a grin, “Knew you could do it, kid.”

  
Kenny beamed proudly and fist-bumped him quickly before taking their bag from his mother to throw over his shoulder while he kept Jane and Marcus near the bench. Emma was still sitting quietly in his lap tracing his ink absentmindedly while Danny looked on hesitantly.

  
“Hey lil’ mama, why don’t you go start towards the van with Kenny, yeah?” He suggested, running his fingers through her hair gently.

  
Emma’s bottom lip popped out in a pout, “Are you coming to get ice cream, too?” She asked quietly, eyes wide with hope.

  
Rio flicked his eyes to Beth who was definitely within range to hear Emma’s question. Beth rolled her eyes and threw her hands up like ‘oh, whatever’ and then started rummaging around in her purse for her keys.

  
Rio looked back down at Emma and smiled, “I thought you’d never ask,” he told her with a smile, tickling her belly quickly. Emma erupted in giggles and hopped down to squeal away from him, running towards Jane and Marcus and almost tackling them in the process. Kenny rolled his eyes at the ruckus and tried to quiet them back down, making them hold hands as he started directing them to the car. Meanwhile, Danny was still stood in front of him, scuffing his shoe against the sidewalk.

  
“You okay, buddy?” Rio asked, reaching out to him. Rio untangled the boy’s hands and grabbed them in his larger ones, tugging him forward.

  
Danny took the invite and lurched at Rio’s neck, hugging him tightly as Rio wrapped one arm around his back and the other cradling his head on Rio’s shoulder.

  
Beth watched from the van as her blonde little boy squeezed Rio’s neck. She couldn’t hear their conversation and Jane needed help with her buckle so she turned away from them to help her with another little sniffle. Damn him and his amazing way with her kids.

Danny pulled his head back from Rio’s shoulder and rubbed his eye, still holding his shoulder with his free hand. “Just miss you,” Danny said quietly, “Daddy never wants to help me with my projects.”

  
Rio sighed and bit down on his lip hard, trying to keep his cool over his feelings towards Dean then smiled softly at Danny. “Hey, I miss you guys, too, buddy. How ‘bout I come t’ the house tomorrow and help you out, yeah?” Rio suggested as he squeezed Danny’s shoulder reassuringly.

  
Danny smiled at that and nodded, hugging him again before taking off after the rest of the kids to the van. Rio watched her start to load them all up, the tension in her shoulders obvious. She finally closed the side door and put her hand on the driver’s side handle before turning and looking at him once more. Rio met her gaze, chewing on his bottom lip as he popped a brow at her. Her lips were turned down in a small frown and her eyes just looked so, so sad and dejected. Rio cursed himself as she shook her head again sadly, holding Marcus on her hip as she turned to start towards his car. She used the spare key she still had and opened it up, buckling him in as Rio jogged over to them.

  
He hadn’t even thought about the kids’ confusion at his sudden absence. It wasn’t that he was there every day, but he had turned up on enough mornings before and afternoons after school for the kids to recognize him and become comfortable with him. Rio actually listened when her children told him things and asked him questions. He readily helped Kenny with his math, let the girls show him/read to him every little thing they wanted, and even helped Danny with his building projects whether it was Legos or something more intricate like a track for his racecars.

  
Rio really did enjoy spending time with the Boland Brood and Marcus loved hanging out with them as well so he often brought Marcus with him to the Boland residence for playdates. It didn’t hurt that it gave Beth a window into what their future could look like if she would stop being so damn dense and afraid of what they could be. Rio wasn’t about to let her get away that easily though, so he slowed as he reached his car, stopping directly behind her.

  
When Beth straightened up after getting Marcus situated and was immediately pressed almost flush against his front. Beth inhaled sharply then pushed them both back some so she could shut Marcus’ door. Rio’s hands landed on her hips, staying there as she spun to face him and crossed her arms.

  
“What?” Beth asked sharply.

  
Rio sighed, reaching up to move her hair off her forehead with his pinky as he always had, “Elizabeth…” he trailed off, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

  
Beth just looked back at him and leaned into his touch when he cupped her cheek. She sniffed, but made no other noise.

  
“Can we please talk about this?” He asked her quietly.

  
“Dad! We’re going to get ice cream right?!” Marcus called jovially from the car.

  
Rio smirked, shrugging his shoulders as Beth glared daggers at him. Finally, Beth rolled her eyes and huffed. “Fine,” she relented, “You know where we’re going.” Beth then started to pull back from him to go back to her car.

  
Rio held his hands up in mock surrender and hopped in the driver’s side to follow them to the same place they always took the kids after the park for ice cream. Beth may not realize it yet, but in reality they had been in some sort of quasi-relationship for a couple months now. Ever since the divorce was finalized and Dean had fully moved out, Rio had been around a lot more, even showing up during daylight hours which is how the kids had gotten to know him. He liked stopping by in morning before school to start coffee and breakfast for her while she got the kids ready and her surprise the first time he did it was comical at best.

  
_Beth woke up ten minutes before her alarm was set to go off as the smell of fresh coffee and bacon infiltrated her senses. She quickly turned it off so it wouldn’t scare the crap out of her in ten minutes and yanked the covers back to find out who in the hell was cooking in her kitchen at this hour. No one she could think of made sense unless Dean was trying to win her over again. If that was the case she was going to lose her fucking shit. It was too God damn early for his idiocy. She growled and pulled her robe on tightly before storming out of her bedroom and into the kitchen only to stop short when she found who was there._

  
_Beth blinked once, twice then shook her head and rubbed at her eyes, visibly confused. “Am I like, still sleeping or something?” Beth mumbled as she slowly walked to the kitchen island and gripped the edge of the counter tightly._

  
_Rio chuckled and flipped some of the pieces of bacon. “Nah, you ain’t sleepin’, ma. The kids like bacon, right? They like pancakes or waffles better?”_

  
_Beth answered on autopilot, “Waffles.”_

  
_Rio nodded to himself and pulled out the frozen waffles, starting to put some down the toaster then sipped on his tea and passed her a mug of coffee made exactly the way she took it normally. “Cool. Kenny has that math test today, he should have a full breakfast, get his brain going and whatnot, you know?”_

  
_Beth_ did _know. Because Kenny was_ her _son. She had planned on making almost the same exact breakfast, but he had beat her to it. She was still flabbergasted by his presence and unable to form a coherent thought to form the question to find out what the fuck he was doing here._

  
_“Did I like, miss a drop last night or something?” She asked before taking a long pull from her steaming mug, groaning as the liquid burned delightfully down her throat._

  
_Rio laughed outright then and shook his head, looking at her over his shoulder, “Nah we straight, darlin’. Everything has been correct and on time.”_

  
_Beth nodded to herself and set her mug down. “Okay then, I’ll bite. What gives? What is—,” she gestured to the food and coffee, “this?” She finished, eyebrows pinched together in sleepy confusion._

  
_Rio finished the scrambled eggs he had been working on, took the bacon off the pan and switched the waffles out of the toaster to start more before turning to Beth, full-blown smirk present, and wiped his hands on a tea towel then slapped it back over his shoulder. “This is me making you and your kids breakfast,” he shrugged then, “Thought you could use some help what with Carman gone and all the extra work you’ve been taking on lately.” Rio tried to say this casually, but he was actively avoiding eye contact (which—what the fuck?) and busying his hands with setting out plates and cups for the kids._

  
_Beth smirked, amused at his uncomfortableness. He was clearly second-guessing this decision, feeling exposed in front of her which Rio was not used to. It was normally her that was uncomfortable around him, not the other way around. But, this was probably the one of the sweetest gestures anyone had ever done for her without her having to ask for the help. This realization made her smile as she watched him switch the waffles again and they began to hear tiny feet start to move above them._

  
_Beth stood with her coffee and rounded the island to press against his side at the sink where he had started washing the pans he used for the eggs and bacon. She leaned up on her tip-toes, lay her hand on the side of his neck and left a lingering kiss on his jaw whispering, “Thank you,” against his skin before stepping back and setting her now empty mug down next to the sink. “I’m going to round them up, get them dressed and I’ll send them down, yeah? They like OJ with breakfast, by the way,” Beth said with a wink before walking slowly, maybe an extra swing in her hips, to the stairs and with one more look over her shoulder at him she started upstairs to corral her kids._

  
Rio shook his head, clearing it of the memory as he pulled up to Frank’s, the ice cream shop they frequented. He looked over and watched as Beth tried to wrangle all four kids out of the car and safely into the shop. He was going to have to have a talk with Kenny about helping with the little ones more.

  
As he walked closer to them holding Marcus’ hand he heard at least two kids having a temper tantrum about who was going to get out first. “Ay!” He called out firmly, “Y’all better listen to your mama or no one’s gettin’ ice cream,” he told them, both eyebrows popped high as he looked down at Jane and Danny, the two fighting to get out. Kenny and Emma were leaned against the van with exasperated looks, rolling their eyes.

  
Jane and Danny both looked properly embarrassed when Rio scolded them, Danny stepping back to let Jane out. Jane promptly reached her arms out to Rio who scooped her up, holding her against his hip as he ruffled Danny’s hair.

  
Beth, meanwhile, watched on with watery eyes as Rio so seamlessly handled her kids. While she loved seeing Rio in this light, it was also extremely painful for her. Over the past couple of months things between them had started to shift without her even realizing it. It had started the night after Dean tried to take her kids and slowly morphed into him showing up at her place to help with the morning routine semi-regularly and always when one of the kids had a test. He had also taken to assisting her with afternoon pick-ups when she was stuck at work. One day she had called him, frantic, asking if there was any way he could pick up the kids from school as Ruby and Annie weren’t answering, Dean was out of town and she was stuck at the dealership dealing with a fucked up shipment of cars that she couldn’t walk away from. Rio had been more than willing, going so far as to come and grab her van, leaving her the keys to his car in exchange which is how they ended up with spare keys for each other’s cars.

_Rio walked into the dealership as calm and cool as he always did, swinging his keys around his finger as he made his way to Beth’s office. He walked up and couldn’t help but crack a small smile when Beth let out a frustrated scream, slamming the phone down and rubbing at her temples._

  
_“You a’ight, ma?” He asked her, pushing off the doorframe and walking to her desk._

  
_“Psh, still up for debate,” she muttered, signing a couple papers and putting them to the side. “Wait, why are you here?! You’re supposed to be on the way to the school!” Beth exclaimed, jumping up from her chair._

  
_Rio lifted his hands in surrender and walked up to her, pushing her gently back into the chair. “Just trading my caddy for the mama van, sweetheart, relax,” he told her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head when she relaxed into the computer chair._

  
_“Oh,” she muttered, grabbing her keys out of her desk and handing them to him, “Please, no bullet holes when it’s returned this time?” Beth teased, watching him roll his eyes playfully before dropping his keys into her drawer._

  
_“Yeah, yeah. No promises. I hear those PTA moms are savages,” Rio joked back, shaking his head on a laugh as he left her office, knocking the doorframe on his way out. Beth watched him go with a grin stretching her lips._

  
Beth shook her head and wiped at her eyes as Emma tugged on her hand. She looked down at her and smiled, “Yes, baby?”

  
“Are you okay, mama? You look sad,” Emma asked her innocently.

  
Beth tried for a brighter smile and ran her hand over Emma’s hair. “I’m fine, baby. Here, take my hand so we can walk inside,” she answered, holding her hand out for Emma to take.

  
Rio watched with Jane on his hip as she traced the ink of his neck tattoo absentmindedly while Danny tugged on his hand to start towards the front door. Rio sighed, but relented and let him drag him across the parking lot to the front door of Frank’s. Beth scooped Marcus up when he reached for her and held Emma’s hand as Kenny walked between the two groups to get to the door. Once inside all five kids ran up to the case with the ice cream to choose their flavors while Rio and Beth waited in line for their turn to order. The workers there knew all of them from their numerous trips and smiled with a little wave to Beth and Rio when they entered.

  
Now, they stood silently next to each other and it wasn’t the comfortable silence that normally blanketed them. It was tense and uneasy and Beth was still clearly upset. Rio kept stealing looks out of his periphery at her while she tried to blink back her tears, sniffing every couple moments. Rio sighed, he couldn’t stand here doing nothing when she was clearly on the verge of tears. He carefully reached for her, tentatively sliding his hand up to the back of her neck and turned her head so she was facing him. Beth looked up at him hopelessly and shrugged her shoulders, dropping her head as a tear or two snuck out silently.

  
Beth put both hands over her face and shook her head at herself, not believing she was really crying at such an inopportune moment. She was supposed to be _angry_ with him, but how could she stay angry with this beautiful, wonderful man who cared so deeply for her children and was currently pulling her into his chest to comfort her.

  
Rio curled her against his chest, wrapping his other arm around her back as he kept the other woven into the hair at the nape of her neck. “Shhh, s’okay, mama,” he whispered into her hair, kissing the crown of her head a couple times before resting his chin on top of her head and walking with her to move up in line.

  
Beth moved her hands from her face and wrapped them tightly around his middle, burying her face in his shoulder and breathing him in. Her body immediately relaxed on its own volition as his scent invaded her senses. She had no idea when _that_ became a thing, but she didn’t have the energy to dissect it. All she knew at all anymore was how safe and light she always felt in his presence—when they weren’t fighting of course. Although, even when they were fighting, she still felt safe with him—another thing she didn’t understand. She was starting to think some things weren’t meant to be understood, just felt. And what she felt for Rio and how she felt around him…it was a lot. It was big and terrifying and she had been avoiding those feelings for months, coming up with excuse upon excuse about how it couldn’t work and he would never actually want to settle down with someone like her, he just wanted to fuck her again.

  
Beth was slowly starting to realize that he cared very deeply for her and that it was most definitely more than business to him. He made that clear in the way he cared for her kids as well as the way he cared for her without her even realizing he was doing it. If she thought back on the past few months she could now very clearly see just how hard he had been chasing her and how patient he was being with her.

  
_“I ain’t gon’ lose you to that dumbass, Elizabeth. I need you to boss up and get your house in order. Do what you gotta do, mama. Threaten him, cut his dick off, kill ‘im. I don’ give a fuck what you do long as you understand that this,” he motioned between them, “is far from over. And it ain’t just business, Elizabeth. I shouldn’t even have to explain that to you at this point, but clearly you’re a lil’ slower on the uptake than I thought,” Rio told her, smirking once he got to the end of his little tirade._

  
When she thought back to that conversation now, she felt like an idiot. Rio had went out of his way to make it clear to her she was more than just business and that he wanted her—to himself, not to share. He only made himself more clear by injecting himself and Marcus into her family seamlessly and without her even realizing what was happening.

  
Beth’s eyes had dried by the time it was their turn at the counter, but she only released one of her arms from around him. Rio didn’t acknowledge it outwardly, but he was grinning on the inside as Beth let him curl his arm around her shoulders and hold her against his side while she kept one arm wrapped around his waist. As they stepped up to make their order, Beth pressed her hand against his chest and looked up at him, eyes much brighter than outside at the car. “I’m thinking some Rocky Road sounds good right now,” she told him, tracing her nail back and forth across his pec.

  
Rio swallowed thickly, not used to Beth’s delicate touch as it was normally him reaching out to her. He looked down at her and cocked half a smile, “Whatever you want, sweetheart. I’m easy,” he winked at her, pulled her close and kissed the top of her head before turning to the kids, “A’ight, tell Cass what you want, _one at a time_ ,” he emphasized, “Kenny, help ‘em order if they need it, yeah?”

  
Kenny nodded at Rio and turned to ask Jane and Marcus what flavors they wanted. It was a flurry of orders after that as Kenny managed to get Jane’s and Marcus’ orders in and assisted Danny and Emma in deciding on sizes and cones vs cups vs milkshakes. Beth watched on in amusement and looked up at Rio with a small smile only to find he was already watching her. He smirked when she caught him and blushed at the attention before he leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. Rio pushed Beth towards the younger kids as they waited for their ice cream and stepped up next to Kenny who was ordering a modest one scoop of chocolate fudge ice cream with marshmallow on top. Rio put his hand on Kenny’s shoulder and squeezed. “Hey Cass, make that a sundae, yeah? He earned it,” Rio told her as he winked down at Kenny. “You know, your mom really ‘ppreciate’s it when you help out wit’ the little ones. She has a lot on her plate.”

  
Kenny grinned up at him and then nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I know,” he shrugged, “I’ve been trying to help more, but sometimes I forget. But ask mom! I helped a lot when you were gone. Which, where were you? Did you go on a business trip like my dad always does?” He asked innocently, absentmindedly grabbing Rio’s hand as he ordered for himself and Beth and moved them down to pick up Kenny’s finished sundae.

  
Rio chewed on the inside of his cheek as Kenny spoke. His disdain for Dean just grew by the day. The guy was a car salesmen—there weren’t exactly many ‘business’ trips involved in that line of business. Which could only mean Dean had used it as an excuse to leave his family for a few days and do God knows what behind Beth’s back. Finally, he calmed himself enough to answer Kenny before they reached the rest of the kids and Beth waiting at the checkout counter for them.

“I believe you, little man, you wouldn’t lie,” he told him, smiling down at him, “And yeah, I guess you could say I was away on business, but if I’m being honest, bud, I got a lil’ scared of your mom so I backed off some.” He had no idea why he was telling Kenny this, he was only 12, but he had a feeling if he just said he was on a business trip that Kenny would associate it the same way he did with Dean’s trip and he just couldn’t let that happen.

  
Kenny laughed brightly at that, “Scared? Of mom? But you’re like, _so_ cool and mom is _not_ scary,” he paused then, “Well, unless she’s really, _really_ mad like when dad told me about my big birthday party after mom told me no.”

  
Rio chuckled with him and shook his head. “Nah, not like that. What scares me ‘bout your mom is how she make me feel in here,” he confessed, patting his hand over his heart.

  
Kenny looked puzzled for a moment then asked, “So, do you love her?”

  
Rio’s eyes widened in shock as his mouth opened and closed a couple times, “Uh, it’s a little more complicated than that, buddy.”

  
Kenny shrugged as they finally joined the others at the checkout counter. “It doesn’t have to be. I love you, but I still love my dad, too. It sounds complicated, but it really just means I have a lot of love to give. That’s what mom said.”

  
Rio blinked then locked eyes with Beth as she caught the tail end of what Kenny had said. He gulped and diverted his eyes from her to the person ringing them up. Rio smiled at the young girl and quickly handed over enough cash for their ice cream even as Beth scoffed at him for pushing her wallet away. Luckily, Kenny dropped the subject in order to join the other kids as they searched for enough tables to fit them all.

  
Kenny may have dropped it, but Beth certainly hadn’t. “So, what were you and Kenny talking about?” She asked him nonchalantly as she took a spoonful of their shared bowl of ice cream while they walked. She then spooned out another bit and held it up to Rio, his arm back around her shoulders.

  
Rio took the offered up bite, locking eyes with her and she pulled the spoon back out of his mouth. And God that man could make anything look obscene. “Guy stuff,” Rio shrugged, breaking the eye contact and sitting down at the table next to the kids, tugging her down next to him.

  
Beth rolled her eyes, but leaned into his side anyway as she continued eating. “Mhm,” she hummed, making a show of licking the back of their spoon then grinning at him.

  
Rio only adjusted in his seat and shook his head at her, smirking. “Tryin’ to kill me, mami?” He leaned into her ear and whispered, nipping her earlobe quickly.

  
Beth levelled him with a glare that held no heat before she broke and just smiled softly, shaking her head back at him and turning to check that the kids weren’t making a complete mess. When she did look around the table she noticed a heated discussion between Marcus and Jane that involved lots of flailing hands and tiny little scowls. Beth hit his stomach with the back of her hand lightly and nodded to the scene next to them.

  
Rio looked up and over, scanning the kids until he landed where Beth was looking on curiously. Marcus and Jane were attached at the hip, the best of friends and thinking back, they had never really fought before—which is what it looked like was currently happening. Rio kicked Kenny’s foot under the table and when he looked up he nodded his head at the younger kids and raised an eyebrow as if to say, ‘what’s up with that?’, but Kenny only shrugged in response then turned to Jane and Marcus.

  
“Hey! What’s going on down there? No fights during ice cream,” Kenny called out, still eating his sundae enthusiastically.

  
Marcus and Jane immediately stopped and colored as everyone looked at them, but then, by the surprise of everyone, Marcus was the one who looked angry again first, bursting out, “Jane doesn’t want to be a family!” He accused, pointing a finger at her as his lip started to tremble.

  
“That’s _not_ what I said!” Jane piped up angrily, pinching Marcus in the arm.

  
“ _Ow!_ ” Marcus yelped, tugging on her ponytail in retaliation.

  
Jane growled and lunged, but Emma grabbed her around the waist and lugged her on the opposite side of her clumsily, glaring at her younger sister. “I _said_ that we _can’t_ be a family,” Jane corrected, still scowling at Marcus, but her lip wobbled as she continued, “Daddy said we can’t be a family ‘cos Rio doesn’t love us like daddy does,” Jane confessed quietly, looking down at her hands. “But…but I love Rio and Marcus,” she said timidly, glancing at Marcus, “Marcus says they _do_ love us, though.” Jane’s face twisted in pained confusion, looking up at Beth and Rio who were sat beside her on the booth’s bench.

  
“We do!” Marcus insisted, leaning over Emma to grab Jane’s hand and squeeze it with a pout.

  
Beth and Rio looked at each other and smiled wryly, not sure how to proceed as they had never even spoke to each other about any of this, let alone their kids. Beth’s three other kids sat quietly, watching the scene unfold in front of them. They all looked back and forth between them then huddled up, Emma letting Marcus crawl over her and leaning closer to the middle of their table as Kenny and Danny leaned forward as well, heads together and whispering.

  
“Okay, first thing’s first. I think you both have an apology to make. We don’t yell at each other and we certainly don’t pinch or pull hair, right?” Rio said gently, looking back and forth between Marcus and Jane expectantly.

  
They both nodded and stubbornly muttered their apologies to each other, still holding hands mind you.

  
“Good, now, about us being a family,” Beth paused and locked eyes with Rio before she continued. He gave her a small, genuine smile and a short nod, encouraging her to continue. “Rio and I care very deeply for each other and we _both_ love _all_ of you more than anything else in this world,” she told them, grinning as she went for tickles on both small bellies. The kids squealed with laughter, batting her hands away as Rio grinned with her, keeping the kids within her reach.

  
“But still, if Rio is your boyfriend, how come you guys don’t ever kiss? You and dad kissed all the time,” Kenny cut in after convening with his other two siblings.

  
Beth sighed. Rio rocked his jaw. “Rio and I are not your father and I,” Beth answered as simply as she could.

  
“So, if Beth isn’t your girlfriend, does that mean we can’t be a family?” Marcus asked Rio sadly, lips in a pout as he wiped at his eye.

  
Beth watched Rio’s face twist into a pained expression as he tried to work out how to answer Marcus.

  
“If you’re not mom’s boyfriend, does that mean you’ll leave us again?” Emma asked quietly, biting on her thumbnail with wide eyes searching Rio’s face anxiously.

  
“Guys—,” Beth started.

  
“Look—,” Rio started at the same time.

  
They looked at each other and smiled warmly. Rio reached out and tucked some stray hair behind her ear, ghosting his thumb over her cheek before letting his hand drop to the top of her thigh, squeezing reassuringly.

  
Then, “Just kiss her already!” Danny exclaimed, throwing his hands up dramatically and Kenny snickered next to him.

  
“Yeah, Rio, what are you, _scared_?” Kenny taunted him, smirking almost identical to Rio.

  
Rio glared briefly at him, but flicked his eyes to Beth and shrugged with a grin, laughter bright in his eyes. Beth smiled, shrugged back and put her hand over his on her thigh. Rio licked his lips, watched her do the same, and then leaned over the small distance to kiss her plump bottom lip softly. Beth sighed happily, smiling against his mouth as she chased his lips for one more soft kiss on his pouty bottom lip to seal the deal.

  
Before they knew it, the kids and all of the workers in the small shop started clapping and hollering for them. Beth and Rio jerked back in surprise—Rio laughed, Beth blushed, ducking her head against his shoulder. Jane and Marcus—tears long forgotten—were bouncing in their seats and clapping happily while Kenny, Emma, and Danny laughed, giving them both a thumbs up and going back to their ice cream.

  
“Finally!” Cass called from behind the ice cream counter.

“I know!” Marcus exclaimed, “I didn’t know if our plan was going to work!” Then promptly slapped a hand over his mouth as Kenny groaned, dragging a hand down his face.

  
“We were so close,” Kenny muttered to himself.

  
Beth’s and Rio’s jaws dropped looking at their kids in disbelief. “Excuse me, what plan young man?” Beth asked him sternly.

  
“Relax, mom. You guys were moving at a glacier’s speed. Someone needed to make a move and it clearly wasn’t going to be either one of you,” Kenny told her, finishing off his sundae. “Right guys?” He addressed the other kids.

  
They all nodded sheepishly and shrugged their shoulders before Emma spoke next. “We had to take matters into our own hands if we wanted to be a family any time in this century,” she admonished them with a sass no one knew she possessed.

  
Beth could only laugh and shake her head as she listened to her children. Marcus and Jane had crawled back to their seats to mess with their melted ice cream, surely making a mess, but she couldn’t seem to care. She felt so light and free, like a huge weight had been lifted off of her. Rio was laughing with her then stretched his arm out behind her on the booth, looking down at her in adoration. She smiled back and leaned into him, resting her hand on his thigh as she tilted her head back to look at him.

  
“So, I guess we’re doing this, huh?” She asked, eyes shining with mirth.

  
Rio chuckled, “We been doin’ this, ma. ‘Cept now I can kiss you properly whenever I want,” he told her, leaning down to capture her lips in a firm kiss that let his intentions be known. “You stuck with me now, baby,” he joked with a smirk.

  
Beth rolled her eyes and smacked his chest, “Mhm and you’re stuck, too,” she teased back, but then her smile faltered, eyes shooting back to Jane.

  
“Hey, bun,” she called as Rio listened in, letting her sit up a bit straighter to address her youngest. “If this was a plan, did daddy really say that Rio doesn’t love us?” She asked seriously.

  
Beth watched as all of her children slowed their movements while Jane nodded, biting her bottom lip. She was about to speak when Danny put his hand up to stop her and turned to Beth and Rio.

  
“Yes, he did. He overheard us talking about our plan and told us it wouldn’t work because Rio could never love you like Dad does. He also tried to tell us that Rio had his own son, that he could never love us enough because we aren’t his kids,” Danny spoke firmly, but quietly. Rio caught the undercurrent of anger in Danny’s expression and his hesitance earlier now made complete sense. He also didn’t think he had ever heard Danny say so much at once before.

  
Beth’s eyes were wet with unshed tears as she turned and looked at Rio, speechless. Rio pulled her close and kissed the top of her head muttering, “Fucking dumbass,” into her hair before he addressed the kids.

  
Rio took a beat and scanned all of their faces quickly. Kenny was looking directly at him with a serious expression painted on when his eyes landed on her eldest first. Emma was still biting her lip anxiously and swinging her legs under the table as she held Jane’s other hand. Danny looked back at him with wide, expectant, innocent eyes. Finally, Jane and Marcus were pouting at him, squeezing each other’s hands until their tiny little knuckles were white. Fuck he loved them.

  
Rio bit his lip then cleared his throat and sat up a little. He leaned forward and pulled the most sincere, open face he could manage before he spoke. “I want you guys to listen to me very carefully because I need you guys to understand, okay?” They all nodded steadfastly. “Okay. I want to be very clear when I say that I love _all of you_ very much,” all of their faces visibly relaxed at the news and he smiled, “Us being a family? It’s not something that your dad gets to decide. It’s something for the seven of us to talk about together. No matter how much your mom and I care about each other, we would never make any decisions for all of us without speaking to all of you first, okay?”

  
Beth wiped her eyes quickly and smiled, squeezing his thigh gently, “That’s right, guys. Please, always come to me if you ever have questions about something like this. Sometimes your dad forgets you can have more than one family,” she explained, ruffling Jane’s hair playfully.

  
“But, dad, we _want_ to be a family, right guys?” Marcus said, gesturing to the Boland Brood to back him up.

  
“Yeah!” Jane agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

  
Emma and Danny smiled and nodded as well, shrugging at Beth’s wide eyes. Kenny smirked at Rio, raising his eyebrows in another challenge.

  
Rio grinned and hooked Beth’s chin in his thumb and index finger, turning her face to the side and up so he could kiss her slowly, sliding his tongue across the seam of her lips which elicited a gasp from Beth. Beth kissed him back, opening her mouth to him and balling up his shirt where her hand had landed on his chest. The kids all giggled, then Kenny started making gagging noises jokingly and she quickly remembered where they were, pulling back and blushing a deep shade of pink as she cleared her throat.

  
“Well, I guess if you guys _insist_ ,” she joked, sliding her hand up to cup Rio’s cheek and gave him a silly smile

.   
Rio smiled back down at her, nuzzling his face against her open palm before addressing the kids again. “Hey, let’s be real. We been a family for a while now, don’ yah think guys?”

  
They all nodded, exasperated, like _finally_ , they were getting it.

  
“Right, right. So I guess it’s settled then,” Rio said with a smirk on his lips and a mischievous glint in his eye. “We family so you really stuck with me now, baby,” Rio joked, ducking his head into her neck to start peppering kisses there and hold her tightly against him. He couldn’t stop touching her now that he had full permission. He didn’t want to take his hands off her, wanted to taste every inch of skin he could reach. Rio lifted his head to lock eyes with her in an intense gaze, trying to convey this thoughts, namely: _Wait until I get you alone, mama_. Beth shivered in his hold, biting down on her bottom lip and he smirked, tucking her hair behind her ear.

  
Beth blinked, cleared her throat and turned to the kids. “Okay, guys! Let’s all clean up so we can get going. Kenny, please take your siblings to the bathroom to wash up,” she asked him, ruffling his hair as he got up and started ushering them to the bathroom with Emma’s help.

  
“Hey,” Rio said, jostling her to look up at him, “you sure you good wit’ all this? A month ago you thought we was just business,” he reminded her, squeezing her shoulder gently as she leaned against him.

  
Beth gave him a small smile and nodded, “Yeah, I was an idiot,” she laughed at herself and he chuckled with her, shaking his head. “You poor thing. You tried to tell me so many times,” Beth said quietly, sliding both hands up to hook around the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Rio.”

  
Rio smiled and kissed her gently. “Nah, don’t be sorry, ma. We here now. That’s all that matters, yeah?”

  
Beth grinned at him with a, “Yeah,” before she dragged him back down for a longer, deeper kiss before the kids came back to the table. 

  
Rio groaned against her lips, sliding a hand down to her ass to knead her cheek with his strong, lean fingers. He pulled back and licked his lips. “Mm, need you alone, mami,” he mumbled, dipping his head to the crook of her neck and skimming his lips over the skin there.

  
Beth shuddered, letting out a shaky breath as she grazed her nails over his cropped hair gently, “I know. Soon,” she whispered with a small smile.

  
She heard the kids slam out of the bathroom and start towards them then laughed as Rio grimaced.

  
“Promise?” He demanded, pinning her with an intense gaze filled with lust.

  
“Promise,” she said breathily right before the kids descended upon them, thrusting them right back into the chaos of their five kids together.

  
Rio kept her eyes until they had to break the eye contact to pack the kids up and get them to the cars. It had taken him several months, but Beth was finally his and he’d be damned if he ever let her go. Not only that, but he had his own little family now, something he thought he might never be able to give Marcus. He had no idea what the future held, but he knew as long as Beth was by his side, he could handle anything life decided to throw at them. 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay y'all! Here's part two of this series! I hope it you enjoy! Let me know what you think and also let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see in this series. A particular scene or an explanation of anything that's already been talking about. I'm so excited to keep writing!
> 
> Happy Reading!  
> Red


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